A Classical Journey in a Contemporary World: Directing Naomi Iizuka\u27s Anon(ymous)

This thesis paper is on the directorial journey that led to the production of Anon(ymous), by Naomi Iizuka, at the University Theatre in spring 2012. The following chapters will discuss the birth and evolution of the production, the approach to the script from the director\u27s point of view and the creative process

Comparative study of lactation curves and milk quality in Holstein versus Swedish Red and White-Holstein Cross Cows

The objective of this study reported in this research paper was to compare the lactation curves of the production of milk, fat, protein, percentages of fat and protein, and somatic cell score in purebred Holstein (H) cows and Swedish Red and White (SRW) - Holstein (SxH) crossbred cows in the south-central region of the province of Cordoba, Argentina. The data set consisted of 32847 herd-test records from 1244 purebred H cows and 310 SRW x H crossbred cows, from three commercial dairy farms with cows of first to fifth or more lactations. The curves were modeled using the fourth-order Legendre orthogonal polynomials. In this study, the data of production of milk, fat production, protein production, percentage of fat, percentage of protein and somatic cell score (SCS) were analyzed. Purebred H cows had significantly higher milk production, more fat production and higher protein production levels than did SxH crossbred cows. However, SxH crossbred cows produced milk that had a higher percentage of fat and a higher percentage protein than did purebred H cows. In none of the lactations did somatic cell score differ significantly between the two breed groups. The results of our study showed that, SxH crossbred cows had significantly higher percentages of fat and protein; however, purebred H cows were significantly superior to SxH crossbred cows for the production of 305-d milk, fat, and protein. Mammary health, expressed in SCS, did not differ significantly between the two breed groups. Thus, suggest that crossbreeding Holstein purebred cows with SRW bulls can improve the composition of milk solids without affecting mammary health and, in this way, compensate substantially for any potential loss in the production and/or quality of the milk of the crossbred cows compared to H purebred cows.Fil: Pipino, Diego. Agroveterinaria Pipino; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Piccardi, Mónica Belén. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Departamento de Desarrollo Rural. Area de Estadística y Biometría; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lembeye, Felipe. Soprole. Gerencia de Abastecimiento. Departamento Agropecuario; ChileFil: Lopez Villalobos, Nicolas. Massey University; Nueva ZelandaFil: Vazquez, Maria Isabel. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

A severe infective endocarditis successfully treated with linezolid

Despite significant improvements in surgical and medical therapy, prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge and is often associated with a severe prognosis. We report a case of a 59-year-old woman, with  PVE and bacterial endocarditis (Streptococcus bovis) successfully treated with linezolid. Linezolid is a bacteriostatic oxazolidinone antibiotic that has been proven to be effective for the treatment of patients with pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, and infections due to Gram-positive cocci. Linezolid is not yet recognised as a standard therapy for infective endocarditis, but its use becomes a necessity when infection is due to multidrug-resistant microorganisms

Fertility and survival of Swedish Red and White × Holstein crossbred cows and purebred Holstein cows

Swedish Red and White × Holstein (S×H) cows were compared with pure Holstein (HOL) cows for fertility and survival traits in 2 commercial dairy farms in central-southern Córdoba province, Argentina, over 6 years (2008–2013). The following traits were evaluated: first service conception rate (FSCR), overall conception rate (CR), number of services per conception (SC), days open (DO), mortality rate, culling rate, survival to subsequent calvings, and length of productive life (LPL). The data set consisted of 506 lactations from 240 S×H crossbred cows and 1,331 lactations from 576 HOL cows. The FSCR and CR were analyzed using logistic regression, DO and LPL were analyzed using a Cox's proportional hazards regression model, and differences of proportions were calculated for mortality rate, culling rate, and survival to subsequent calvings. The S×H cows were superior to HOL cows in overall lactations for all the fertility traits (+10.5% FSCR, +7.7% CR, −0.5 SC, and 35 fewer DO). During the first lactation, S×H cows were superior to HOL cows for all fertility traits (+12.8% FSCR, +8.0% CR, −0.4 SC, and 34 fewer DO). In the second lactation, S×H cows exhibited lower SC (−0.5) and 21 fewer DO than HOL cows. In the third or greater lactations, S×H cows showed higher FSCR (+11.0%) and CR (+12.2%), lower SC (−0.8), and 44 fewer DO than pure HOL cows. In addition, S×H cows had a lower mortality rate (−4.7%) and a lower culling rate (−13.7%) than HOL cows. Due to the higher fertility and lower mortality and culling rates, the S×H cows had higher survival to the second (+9.2%), third (+16.9%), and fourth (+18.7%) calvings than HOL cows. Because of these results, S×H cows had longer LPL (+10.3 mo) than HOL cows. These results indicate that S×H cows had higher fertility and survival than HOL cows on commercial dairy farms in Argentina.Fil: Pipino, D. F.. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria. Departamento de Producción Animal; ArgentinaFil: Piccardi, Mónica Belén. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola; ArgentinaFil: Lopez Villalobos, Nicolas. Massey University; Nueva ZelandaFil: Hickson, R. E.. Massey University; Nueva ZelandaFil: Vazquez, Maria Isabel. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria. Departamento de Producción Animal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentin

Calcitonin-Induced Effects on Amniotic Fluid-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background/Aims: Mesenchymal stem cells from human amniotic fluid (huAFMSCs) can differentiate into multiple lineages and are not tumorigenic after transplantation, making them good candidates for therapeutic purposes. The aim was to determine the effects of calcitonin on these huAFMSCs during osteogenic differentiation, in terms of the physiological role of calcitonin in bone homeostasis. Methods: For huAFMSCs cultured under different conditions, we assayed: expression of the calcitonin receptor, using immunolabelling techniques; proliferation and osteogenesis, using colorimetric and enzymatic assays; intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP levels, using videomicroscopy and spectrophotometry. Results: The calcitonin receptor was expressed in proliferating and osteo-differentiated huAFMSCs. Calcitonin triggered intracellular Ca2+ increases and cAMP production. Its presence in cell medium also induced dose-dependent inhibitory effects on proliferation and increased osteogenic differentiation of huAFMSCs, as also indicated by enhancement of specific markers and alkaline phosphatase activity. Conclusions: These data show that huAFMSCs represent a potential osteogenic model to study in-vitro cell responses to calcitonin (and other members of the calcitonin family). This leads the way to the opening of new lines of research that will add new insight both in cell therapies and in the pharmacological use of these molecules

Calcitonin-Induced Effects on Amniotic Fluid-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background/Aims: Mesenchymal stem cells from human amniotic fluid (huAFMSCs) can differentiate into multiple lineages and are not tumorigenic after transplantation, making them good candidates for therapeutic purposes. The aim was to determine the effects of calcitonin on these huAFMSCs during osteogenic differentiation, in terms of the physiological role of calcitonin in bone homeostasis. Methods: For huAFMSCs cultured under different conditions, we assayed: expression of the calcitonin receptor, using immunolabelling techniques; proliferation and osteogenesis, using colorimetric and enzymatic assays; intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP levels, using videomicroscopy and spectrophotometry. Results: The calcitonin receptor was expressed in proliferating and osteo-differentiated huAFMSCs. Calcitonin triggered intracellular Ca2+ increases and cAMP production. Its presence in cell medium also induced dose-dependent inhibitory effects on proliferation and increased osteogenic differentiation of huAFMSCs, as also indicated by enhancement of specific markers and alkaline phosphatase activity. Conclusions: These data show that huAFMSCs represent a potential osteogenic model to study in-vitro cell responses to calcitonin (and other members of the calcitonin family). This leads the way to the opening of new lines of research that will add new insight both in cell therapies and in the pharmacological use of these molecules

NANOPARTÍCULAS DE DIÓXIDO DE TITÂNIO E ÓXIDO DE ZINCO: SÍNTESE, CARACTERIZAÇÃO E AÇÃO FOTOCATALÍTICA EM EFLUENTES INDUSTRIAIS

O reuso da água de efluentes é um dos principais desafios para alcançar o desenvolvimento sustentável. Corantes da indústria têxtil podem contaminar solos, percolar e atingir cursos hídricos. Os Processos Oxidativos Avançados (POA), como a fotocatálise heterogênea com radiação de luz UV e nanopartículas metálicas, geram espécies reativas de oxigênio e radicais hidroxilas que podem reduzir agentes poluidores de efluentes. Este trabalho sintetizou nanopartículas de óxido de zinco (ZnO-NP) e dióxido de titânio (TiO2-NP) a fim de fotodegradar o corante azul de metileno e amarelo de tartrazina. Foi realizada a caracterização cristalográfica e morfológica das nanopartículas por difração de raios-X e microscopia eletrônica de varredura de alta resolução. As sínteses produziram partículas nanométricas. O corante azul de metileno teve maior degradação por TiO2-NP (82 a 85%), já o corante amarelo de tartrazina com a ZnO-NP (79,6% de remoção). Conclui-se que as nanopartículas combinadas com POA são uma alternativa eficaz para a degradação fotocatalítica de corantes

NANOPARTÍCULAS DE DIÓXIDO DE TITÂNIO E ÓXIDO DE ZINCO: SÍNTESE, CARACTERIZAÇÃO E AÇÃO FOTOCATALÍTICA EM EFLUENTES INDUSTRIAIS

O reuso da água de efluentes é um dos principais desafios para alcançar o desenvolvimento sustentável. Corantes da indústria têxtil podem contaminar solos, percolar e atingir cursos hídricos. Os Processos Oxidativos Avançados (POA), como a fotocatálise heterogênea com radiação de luz UV e nanopartículas metálicas, geram espécies reativas de oxigênio e radicais hidroxilas que podem reduzir agentes poluidores de efluentes. Este trabalho sintetizou nanopartículas de óxido de zinco (ZnO-NP) e dióxido de titânio (TiO2-NP) a fim de fotodegradar o corante azul de metileno e amarelo de tartrazina. Foi realizada a caracterização cristalográfica e morfológica das nanopartículas por difração de raios-X e microscopia eletrônica de varredura de alta resolução. As sínteses produziram partículas nanométricas. O corante azul de metileno teve maior degradação por TiO2-NP (82 a 85%), já o corante amarelo de tartrazina com a ZnO-NP (79,6% de remoção). Conclui-se que as nanopartículas combinadas com POA são uma alternativa eficaz para a degradação fotocatalítica de corantes

Site Specific Theatre Curation. An Italian Case Study

Title: Site Specific Theatre Curation. An Italian Case Study. Abstract: The artistic and technical challenges of directing theatrical events in archaeological environments often necessitate greater collaboration between organizers and artists thus answering the questions: how much is the environment influencing the performance and the performers? What are the advantages and the disadvantages of such a process and why is it still worth pursuing, in terms of artistic achievement and social revitalization? This paper will present an Italian case study by first exploring the birth and development of the Festival Internazionale Valle Christi, a summer theatre Festival taking place in Italy, in city of Rapallo (Genoa) within the Italian Riviera Ligure. The stage of the festival is the archaeological remains of a medieval monastery (built in 1204) which had been abandoned for several decades. Originally, the goal was to bring the monument back to life and make it available to the community. A brief outline of what had to be done and was done in order to legally adopt and operate the monument will be provided. The paper will then focus on the mission statement of the Festival, which implements the artistic choices that have determined the calendar of events and productions for the past eleven years. Examples of site specific inspired productions (The Anthology of Spoon River, Clytemnestra) will be illustrated along with information on how touring shows and artists (Phaedra, My Fathers War, Dario Fo, Giorgio Albertazzi) have managed to adjust/restage their performances to take advantage of the existing scenario. The ongoing and everlasting struggle to access funding, reach for donors and sponsors and access new audiences will also concisely be mentioned, with specific reference to the grave economic crisis Italy is now going through and which has caused severe cuts to most cultural activities in the country. Finally, the paper will delineate how effective a recurring event the Festival was in revitalizing the monument and in making it an active part of the cultural and economic life of its community after decades of oblivion